New York's Stuyvesant Falls rehabilitation nears completion

STUYVESANT, N.Y. 4/13/12 (PennWell) -- The 111-year-old Stuyvesant Falls hydroelectric plant is on the verge of reactivation as an eight-year rehabilitation project draws to a close, sources report.

The hydropower facility, which sits on New York's Kinderhook Creek, was constructed in 1901 by the Albany & Hudson Railroad Company before it was rebuilt with a 3.5-MW capacity in 1942 by New York Power & Light.

The plant then operated through the early 1990s before being abandoned.

Schumer, who helped pass legislation in 2003 that gave the town of Stuyvesant the federal license needed to operate the plant, was recently given a tour of the facility by representatives from project developer Albany Engineering Corporation.

"Thanks to this upgrade, we know it will generate power for at least another 50 years to come," Schumer says.

Albany Engineering's rehab work included rebuilding of the facility, the installation of new turbines and upgrades to water piping.

The completed project will have a capacity of 7 MW when commissioned later this year.

Albany Engineering has designed or rehabilitated and commissioned more than 125 MW of hydroelectric facilities.